The Tale of the Serger I Wanted to Smash

A few weeks ago I shared this image and many commented & chorused my misery. We were sisters and brothers, bound together by a single life altering experience. We all wanted to smash our serger machines to smitherines. (Wondering what is a serger? Click here)

As it started, my first purchase of a home serger was nearly 8 years ago. I purchased the Singer 14CG754 Profinish Overlock Serger on sale one day at Joanns for around $200. Up til then, my boys' tees had been constructed on my sewing machine with a simple zig zag finish- but I felt that in order to have an official business; making/selling custom clothing I needed to produce professionally finished seams for garments with a serger. Basically that's all I knew when I went to the store that day. Oh and from what I read on the internet I would dread threading the machine or altering the tension in any direction for fear of never getting a balanced stitch again. When we got home I set the machine up for a 3 thread overlock and that's the only stitch I ever ran.

I believe there's a worse fate for a sewing machine or tool of any type, beyond smitherines. That's sitting in a corner collecting dust. Eventually that little Profinish filled me with frustration (which I recognize now to be several factors: I was afraid of the machine, which is silly. I never took time to understand the mechanics of how a serger worked. I bought crumby quality thread that broke.) and I packed it back up in the original box where it sat in the corner for a few years. At this point- I, personally, was confident enough in my knit sewing skills that I could construct any garment "well enough" and despite the fact it took me twice as long to complete one. I felt it was justified for the comparison in time I fiddled and fumbled around the serger. Slowly the Profinish got covered in by a scrap pile and was never heard from again.

Until more recently I've lived a blissful serger free life. That's what I thought until one day I found myself behind the seams of an industrial overlocker/serger. My heart skips a beat when I think about that moment- I was sewing up tees and gosh how smooth and easy (and all that table space!!) That experience compared to my Profinish got me thinking about the serger in a whole new way. I no longer want to smash my serger to smitherines and I urge you not to do it either! (I also no longer have a Profinish!)

If you're experiencing a love/hate relationship with your overlock/serger, are considering buying one, own one and don't know how to use it or have any questions I'd love to hear from you in the comments- What are you biggest frustrations or fears when it comes to serger sewing?